Key Takeaways
- The gardens on Te Ngae Rd in Rotorua, including the median strip and corner gardens, have become overgrown and are in need of maintenance.
- The responsibility for maintaining the gardens was unclear, with the Rotorua Lakes Council and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) initially pointing to each other.
- The council has since confirmed that it is responsible for the upkeep of the gardens, which were handed over to them by NZTA in November.
- Work to maintain the gardens is scheduled to start next Thursday, weather permitting, and will be carried out by the council’s open space operations department.
Introduction to the Issue
The gardens on Te Ngae Rd in Rotorua have become a concern for local resident Brian Pickering, who has been trying to get them maintained for some time. The gardens, which include the long median strip between Sala St and Tarawera Rd, as well as the corner gardens at intersections along Te Ngae Rd, have become overgrown and are in need of attention. Pickering, a Karaka Pines Regency Park resident who received a New Zealand Bravery Decoration in 2005, contacted the Rotorua Lakes Council and NZTA this month to report the issue, but was initially referred back and forth between the two organizations.
The Search for Responsibility
Pickering’s concerns about the overgrown gardens were initially met with confusion, with both the council and NZTA pointing to each other as being responsible for the maintenance. It wasn’t until he contacted Higgins, a contractor for NZTA, that he was told the work had recently been given to the council. In an email from Higgins, Pickering was informed that the responsibility for the gardens had been handed over to the council and would be maintained by them moving forward. However, Pickering was frustrated by the lack of clarity and the fact that no one seemed to know whose responsibility it was to maintain the gardens.
Council Response
The Rotorua Lakes Council has since confirmed that it is responsible for the upkeep of the gardens, which were created as part of the upgrades to SH30/Te Ngae Rd undertaken by NZTA. The council’s infrastructure and assets group manager, Stavros Michael, told the Rotorua Daily Post that the garden areas were handed over to the council by NZTA in November, along with some funding to bring them up to standard for future maintenance. The cost for ongoing maintenance will sit with the council, which has scheduled work to start next Thursday, weather permitting. The work will be carried out by the council’s open space operations department and will include maintaining the median strip and roadside garden beds.
Maintenance and Traffic Management
The council has advised that some traffic management will be required for safety reasons during work on the gardens in the median strip, and drivers are asked to drive with care during this time. The work will be carried out in stages, starting with the median strip and working up to the Puketawhero Park area. The council has also issued information about the garden maintenance on its Facebook page, and has advised that the timing of the work has had to be coordinated with other scheduled maintenance and the Amohau/Te Ngae Rd resealing, which is now planned to start on January 27.
Conclusion
The issue of the overgrown gardens on Te Ngae Rd in Rotorua has highlighted the importance of clear communication and responsibility between organizations. While the initial confusion and lack of clarity were frustrating for Pickering, the council has since taken responsibility for the maintenance of the gardens and has scheduled work to start next Thursday. The maintenance of the gardens is an important part of keeping Rotorua looking tidy and attractive to tourists, and the council’s efforts to address the issue are welcome. As Pickering noted, Rotorua is a tourist city and it needs to look its best, and the maintenance of the gardens is an important part of achieving this goal.